Wednesday, December 12, 2007

It took 60 years after Independence to have a portrait of Bipin Pal in the august House

NEW DELHI: Portraits of freedom fighter Bipin Chandra Pal and the first parliamentarian couple in Indian history, the late Joachim and Violet Alva, were unveiled in Parliament's Central Hall on Wednesday.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee unveiled the two portraits in the Central Hall of Parliament in the presence of vice-president Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and leader of Opposition L K Advani.
Bipin Chandra Pal, born on November 7, 1858, in Sylhet district, now in Bangladesh, was the foremost among leaders of the nationalist movement. He was one of the triumvirate of the three great freedom fighters — Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Pal — popularly known as "Lal, Bal, Pal". Though the other two have already found a place in Parliament, it took 60 years after Independence to have a portrait of Bipin Pal in the august House.
In 1952, Violet Alva was elected to Rajya Sabha and Joachim Alva to Lok Sabha, both from the then Bombay state, making them the first couple to be elected to Parliament.
Portraits of freedom fighters unveiled HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times New Delhi, December 06, 2007 Home
The portraits of noted freedom fighters Bipin Chandra Pal and Joachim and Violet Alva, the first parliamentarian couple in India, were unveiled in the Central Hall on Wednesday. Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee unveiled the two portraits in the presence of several dignitaries.
Professor Zagar Zahoor painted Pal’s portrait and Suhas Bahulkar worked on Alva’s.The Lok Sabha Secretariat also published booklets depicting the lives of these leaders. While Pal was among the foremost leaders of the nationalist movement and one of the triumvirate of “Lal, Bal, Pal” (in a reference to Lala Lajpat Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak), Joachim and Violet were a unique team in the struggle for Indian Independence, in law, journalism and parliament.

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